In the prior art, a liquid collected from an organism and the like is analyzed by a known analyzing method using an analyzing device having fluid channels formed therein. The analyzing device can control a fluid by using a rotator. By using a centrifugal force, the analyzing device can dilute a sample liquid, measure a solution, separate a solid component, transfer and distribute a separated fluid, and mix a solution and a reagent, thereby enabling various biochemical analyses.
Patent Document 1 describes an analyzing device 50 for transferring a solution by a centrifugal force. As shown in FIG. 49, the analyzing device 50 is configured such that a sample liquid as a specimen is injected into a measuring chamber 52 from an inlet 51 by an inserting instrument such as a pipette, the sample liquid is retained by the capillary force of the measuring chamber 52, and then the sample liquid is transferred to a separating chamber 53 by a rotation of the analyzing device. Such an analyzing device using a centrifugal force as a power source for transferring a liquid is preferably shaped like a disk, so that microchannels for controlling the transfer of liquid can be radially arranged without causing any excessive area.
The sample liquid and a diluent are mixed and agitated by accelerating or decelerating a turntable, on which the analyzing device 50 is set, in the same rotation direction, or rotating the turntable in forward and reverse directions.
Further, in order to analyze a component contained in a sample liquid such as blood and urine, operations such as mixing with a reagent and centrifugal separation are performed in the process. Generally, these operations are performed using an agitator and a centrifugal separator. In an analysis conducted through multiple processes, these operations performed in the respective devices cause low efficiency. To address this problem, a single device for performing centrifugal separation and agitation is proposed in Patent Document 2 and so on.
Unlike in Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2 does not describe an analyzing device but describes a technique of a centrifugal separator of FIG. 50 in which an eccentric cam 803 rotationally driven by a motor 802 is inserted into a hole 801 bored on a substrate 800, so that the substrate 800 is vibrated. Centrifugal separation and agitation are switched by an electromagnetic plunger.
Patent Document 1: National Publication of International Patent Application No. 7-500910
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 2866404